OK, so I got this game going and the team ends up down under.The GM is telling us how hot it is bla bla bla. Then one of the players pipes in "I thought it was the middle of summer back home" the GM said yes, thats why its so hot. Then he said "But down under the season are backwards. Out winter is there summer. So right now, it should be damn cold!

Is there truth to this?

I thought relative seasons were taught in elementary school. (note, some terms may not be optimal)

Seasons are defined by the relative angle of the earth in regards to the sun. The tilt of the poles provides this angle. While the northern hemisphere is most angled for direct sunlight, the southern hemisphere is most angled for atmospheric interference.

So when it's summer in the northern temperate regions, it's winter in the southern temperate regions.

There's also a little detail in regards to the perigee and apogee of the earth's orbit, that might make southern seasons a little more severe than the equivalent northern season, but a whole lot of more local variable will have a stronger influence.

Yep. Contrary to whatever you've read in in-flight magazines (the magazine aboard a flight I took from KL to Australia warned that by heading South, we were heading closer to the sun, and thus, needed to be sure to pack sunblock) the angular relationship between the sun and the poles is the chief driver of seasonal temperature variations (in other words, obliquity is the main driver, with other orbital parameters having some weight, such as eccentricicty, etc.) Right now Antarctica is heading into summer, as we head into winter here in the northlands.

PS-- New Year's in Sydney is amazing--think giant outdoor festival with fireworks. Sure beats huddling around a stove in the northern hemisphere.

Well, thanks for the great news. I thought the player was crazy.

Wonder if the people down under ever wish for a white x-mas.

A buddy I once had was a Kiwi, and every time any of his family came to visit at the right time of year, they all went crazy-go-nuts over the snow. "Seriously? Is that snow? Right in front of me like that?" "Yes." "I wanna touch it. I wanna bring some home." "You don't wanna touch it, it's cold. And you're forgetting that it will melt and you'll look like an idiot with a tupperware container full of water."

Damn, thats bad. LOL

I was born in CT, USA. I am done with snow and cold.

LOL, ya the snow was nice..for a year or two. Then I got over it. Now I live is CA. I hate Los Angeles, but at least it does not snow.

Then move down to the OC, cause yeah, living in LA blows.

I live in Australia, which has been in a drought for as long as I remember (read: years), so hot pretty much sums it up regardless of the season.

I was going to move to the OC but the jobs for insurance adjsuters are better up here.

BW8 you want life down under? welcome come to Perth, we could always use a few more SR players here (can never have too many)

So...yeah. Long story short, our water runs the opposite direction, our seasons are for the most part opposite, and Victoria's weather is screwy.

YOUR WATER RUNS UPHILL!!! COOL!!!

ps I think more upsidedown smileys would be appropriate.

Yes. Yes it does. We have mastered the art of ignoring gravity. We just get the water really, really drunk.

Nice!

The weather in Victoria is screwy 'cause we got it all fucked up on cheap speed. Gotta throw the shit somewhere.

Yeah, but it's really nasty watching it hung-over the morning after.

Oh, you mean when the sky is green? I thought that meant it was tornado weather?

ah yes water that runs inland, I still think an angel got drunk on the job when designing my homeland

The 'water spirals the other way' thins is a myth.

Due to winds (and other stuff) caused by the rotatin of the Earth, storms and other similar large systems do rotate in opposite directions, however in the smaller scale, these forces are insignificant compared to other considerations (like imperfections in your toilet bowl). So in short, small water systems: toilets, etc rotate whichever way, while large water systems (typhoons, hurricanes, etc) do rotate the opposite direction.

No, the water-rotating thing is not a myth. Water, if left standing and undisturbed for about a day or more, will rotate a given direction overwhelmingly.

~J

And, the direction of that rotation, if the water is placed in a mathematically perfect container and the container is perfectly insulated from 'local' influences (distant noise, tectonic activity, etc, this direction will be derived from the Coriolis effect...

Since such environements do not exist in the real world, the rotation of water being 'reversed' in opposite hemispheres is a myth. The rotation of water is effectd by 'local' influences much more that Coriolis forces. Only in large systems are Coriolis forces noticable (see: rotational pattern of storms).

But this has never stopped the Australian toilet & bathtub industry from designing commodes and tubs which funnel water in a direction specified to confound northern visitors and amuse locals.

Yep, I've always found toilets that spit water at other people to be amusing...

Or better yet, that dis-embodied voices that promise death and ruin (what are the odds of that?)

Damn, after Crusher Bobs little teachers lechure I am unsure if the water does go the other way or not.... Can you just keep it simple for us little people?

http://www.snopes.com/science/coriolis.htm

OK. So after reading the article Feonyx sited, I want to know what is the modifier for shooting north and south in SR.

+1 every full 3 seconds your projectile will be in flight.

+1 per full kilometer for subsonic missiles and rockets?

Missiles shouldn't get a penalty unless they're seriously not doing their job.

~J

I think it's all accounted for in the skill being used. No one is going to be using shipboard gun systems (which are about the scale at which the coriolis "force" becomes a big deal... oooh there's funny stories about that....) without a knowledge of the effect on their shells. On a lighter note, Troy Aikman (sp?) once said that he accounted for the rotation of the Earth when he threw long passes on the football field (hence, covered by the throwing/non-aerodynamic skill). Um, yeah... right. Good call, Troy.

Hey, it's perfectly reasonable to do that. Just throw the ball a few what, micrometers to one side?

~J

As an Australian I will state that winter dose not always mean cold.

In the northern parts you have a tropical climate.

In the centre you have a typical desert. It’s hot during the day and cold during the night. In summer the days are longer in winter the nights are longer but it will still be hot in the day and clot at night.

I would like to see proper snow throw some snowballs an run around. I think it would be a enjoyable experience for a few hours if properly clothed but after spending hours standing in rain and hail I know how un-fun cold can be. And there is something very fine about water skiing on boxing day

When I was in New Zealand on a scout ture we saw a glacier and one of the scouts filled a bottle with glacier ice intending to take it home, the general opinion was it tasted good If a bit flowery.

Edward